A clothes dryer typically comprises a cabinet having a front panel, a rear panel, a pair of side panels spaced apart from each other by the front and rear panels, and a top cover. Within the cabinet is a drum mounted for rotation around a substantially horizontal axis. A motor rotates the drum about the horizontal axis through, for example, a pulley and a belt. The drum is generally cylindrical in shape, has an outer cylindrical wall, and has an open front end. The front panel has a central access opening adjacent the open front end of the drum to permit clothing articles and other fabrics to be loaded into the drum through the access opening. The access opening in the front panel is closed by a door that is attached through a hinge assembly to the front panel of the clothes dryer.
In the past, the clothes dryer typically comprises a vertically extending front panel and includes a hinge assembly for mounting the door to the front panel where the hinge assembly pivots about a vertical axis. In another known laundry appliance the axis of the hinge member is angled relative to the vertical to reduce the load associated with opening and closing the door.